Content

1. PM Vishwakarma Scheme: Honouring Heritage, Powering Progress    
2. Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan

PM Vishwakarma Scheme: Honouring Heritage, Powering Progress    

Basics

• Definition: PM Vishwakarma Scheme (launched 17 Sept 2023, on Vishwakarma Jayanti) aims to uplift traditional artisans and craftsmen engaged in 18 family-based trades.
• Financial Outlay: ₹13,000 crore (FY 2023–24 to FY 2027–28).
• Implementing Ministries:
  • Ministry of MSME (nodal)
  • Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE)
  • Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance
• Institutional Mechanism: 497 District Project Management Units (DPMUs) covering 618 districts.
• Target Group: Artisans working with hands/tools in unorganised sector (carpenter, blacksmith, potter, cobbler, tailor, barber, mason, etc.).

Relevance :

• GS II: Inclusive development (SC/ST/OBC, women, PwDs), governance via DPMUs, social mobility of traditional occupations.
• GS III: MSME formalisation, skill development, credit inclusion, exports & ODOP, Atmanirbhar Bharat push.
• GS I: Preservation of cultural heritage, guru-shishya parampara.

Why in News ?

• As of August 31, 2025:
  • 30 lakh artisans registered (achieving 5-year target in just 2 years).
  • 26 lakh skill verifications completed, 86% completed basic training.
  • 23 lakh+ toolkit e-vouchers issued worth ₹15,000 each.
  • 4.7 lakh loans sanctioned worth ₹41,188 crore.
  • Raajmistri (Mason) is the most registered trade.

Key Features & Benefits

• Recognition: PM Vishwakarma Certificate + ID card.
• Skill Development:
  • Stipend: ₹500/day during training.
  • Toolkit manuals for standardisation.
• Toolkit Incentive: ₹15,000 e-voucher for modern tools.
• Credit Support (Enterprise Development Loan):
  • 1st tranche: ₹1 lakh (18 months repayment).
  • 2nd tranche: ₹2 lakh (30 months repayment).
  • Interest: 5% (Govt. subvention 8%).
• Digital Incentive: Re.1 per transaction (up to 100/month).
• Marketing Support: Branding, fairs, exhibitions, e-commerce onboarding (GeM), quality certification.
• Inclusion: Women, SC/ST/OBC, PwDs, Transgenders, NER, Islands, Hilly areas.

Achievements

• Registered artisans: 30 lakhs (vs. target 30 lakhs in 5 years → achieved in 2 years).
• Toolkit e-vouchers: 23 lakh+ issued → worth over ₹3,450 crore in tool support.
• Loans sanctioned: 4.7 lakh beneficiaries → ₹41,188 crore sanctioned.
• Training coverage: 26 lakh skill verifications → 86% trained.
• Top States: Karnataka, Maharashtra, MP, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh.
• Top Trades: Mason, Tailor, Garland maker, Carpenter, Cobbler.

Significance

• Economic: Formalises unorganised artisans into MSME ecosystem; reduces dependence on local moneylenders charging 15–20% interest.
• Social: Restores dignity of traditional crafts; empowers marginalised communities and women.
• Cultural: Preserves India’s guru-shishya heritage, handicrafts, and indigenous knowledge.
• Digital India push: Encourages UPI, QR code adoption among rural artisans.
• Employment: Creates sustainable self-employment; artisans moving from daily wage uncertainty to entrepreneurship.

Multi-Dimensional Overview

(a) Economic Angle

• Boosts micro-enterprises → part of Atmanirbhar Bharat & Vocal for Local strategy.
• ₹41,188 crore credit infusion supports rural consumption and local economies.
• Reduces rural-urban migration by creating local livelihood opportunities.

(b) Social & Inclusion

• Focus on women artisans .
• Priority to SC/ST/OBC, transgenders, PwDs.
• Social mobility: e.g., barbers, cobblers, washermen now recognised as entrepreneurs.

(c) Skill & Technology

• Introduction of modern machinery, digital payments, and e-commerce onboarding.
• Toolkit standardisation → productivity and quality improvement.

(d) Cultural & Heritage

• Preserves 18 traditional trades threatened by mechanisation.
• Crafts linked to Make in India and GI-tagged products can gain international visibility.

(e) Governance & Federalism

• DPMUs in 497 districts ensure last-mile delivery and monitoring.
• CSCs used for Aadhaar-linked registration → ensures transparency and avoids duplication.

Challenges & Way Forward

• Scalability: Sustainability beyond financial aid; artisans must compete in globalised markets.
• Awareness: Ensuring coverage in remote tribal, island, and border regions.
• Market Linkages: Avoid middlemen exploitation; need for strong e-commerce integration.
• Technology Adoption: Bridging digital literacy gap among older artisans.
• Monitoring: Risk of ghost beneficiaries and misuse of loans → strong auditing required.
• Global Branding: Need to connect artisans to One District One Product (ODOP), global supply chains, GI certification.

Value Addiition

• According to 2011 Census, ~7 crore artisans in India (unorganised sector).
• Handicrafts sector exports (2023–24): ~$4.1 billion.
• MSMEs contribute ~30% to India’s GDP, ~48% to exports, and employ ~11 crore people → PM Vishwakarma strengthens this base.
• Similar international examples:
  • Japan: “Meister” system recognises traditional craftsmanship.
  • Germany: Vocational apprenticeships under dual system.

Conclusion

• PM Vishwakarma is not just a welfare scheme but a structural reform for artisan empowerment.
• By linking recognition + skill + credit + markets, it converts artisans into micro-entrepreneurs.
• Success will depend on integration with MSME clusters, ODOP, digital commerce, and GI exports.
• It represents India’s attempt to balance heritage preservation with economic modernisation.

Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan

Basics

• Definition: SNSPA is a national health initiative launched in September 2025 by MoHFW & MoWCD to improve women’s health, maternal-child care, and family well-being.
• Scale: Over 1 lakh health camps across Ayushman Arogya Mandirs & CHCs – India’s largest women-centric health outreach.
• Focus Areas: Screening (anaemia, hypertension, diabetes, TB, SCD, cancers), maternal care, immunisation, nutrition awareness, behavioural change, digital monitoring.
• Duration: Runs till 2 October 2025 (Gandhi Jayanti) as a high-impact campaign.
• Platforms Used: Anganwadis, Nikshay Mitras, SASHAKT portal for real-time monitoring.

Relevance :

• GS II: Women’s health empowerment, Poshan 2.0 & Mission Shakti linkages, SDG 3 & 5, digital health governance.
• GS III: Reduces OOPE, boosts productivity, integrates ABHA/PM-JAY.
• GS I: Addresses anaemia, MMR, child mortality, tribal health equity.

Why in News?

• Launched on PM Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday (17 Sept 2025) as a Jan Bhagidari Abhiyaan.
• First-of-its-kind integration of women’s health, family empowerment, and community participation at this scale.

Significance

• Health Crisis Context:
  • India has one of the highest burdens of anaemia among women (57% of women aged 15–49, NFHS-5).
  • Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): 97 per 1,00,000 live births (SRS 2020–22) — still above SDG target of <70.
  • Child Mortality: Under-5 mortality at 32 per 1,000 live births (SRS 2022).
• Policy Integration: Builds on Poshan 2.0, Mission Shakti, Mission Indradhanush, SUMAN, and global SDG goals.
• Links women empowerment, health, nutrition, governance, SDGs, and behavioural change into one holistic scheme.

Multi-Dimensional Overview

A. Health & Nutrition Dimension

• Comprehensive screenings: Anaemia (iron deficiency + SCD in tribal belts), breast & cervical cancer, diabetes, hypertension, TB.
• Nutritional support: Integrated with Poshan 2.0 and Suposhit Gram Panchayat Abhiyaan.
• Antenatal Care (ANC): Distribution of Mother and Child Protection cards; counselling to reduce maternal deaths.
• Immunisation: Complementary to Mission Indradhanush (5.46 crore children & 1.32 crore pregnant women vaccinated till Dec 2024).

B. Governance & Technology

• SASHAKT portal: Real-time monitoring, accountability, grievance redressal.
• Healthcare worker self-verification ensures compliance by doctors, CHOs, ASHAs.
• Digital enrolment under PM-JAY, ABHA, Ayushman Vaya Vandana.

C. Social Dimension

• Community-driven model via Nikshay Mitras, volunteers, Indian Red Cross.
• Focus on behaviour change: menstrual hygiene, nutrition, sanitation.
• Outreach through Doordarshan, AIR, social media → strengthens health literacy.

D. Women Empowerment Dimension

• Places women’s health at the centre of family well-being.
• Links health to empowerment under Mission Shakti.
• PMMVY + JSY + JSSK integration ensures financial & institutional support.

E. Economic Dimension

• Preventive healthcare reduces out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) — still 47.1% of total health spending in India (NHA 2019–20).
• Women’s improved health boosts productivity → contributes to $5 trillion economy & Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

F. Inclusivity & Equity

• Tribal focus: counselling for Sickle Cell Disease, TB detection, targeted screenings.
• Special reach to rural, tribal & underserved regions through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
• Gender equity: PMMVY provides ₹6,000 incentive for girl child (2nd birth).

Impact & Expected Outcomes

• Short-Term (2025):
  • Screen millions of women for anaemia, cancer, hypertension.
  • Boost immunisation & antenatal check-ups during Poshan Maah.
• Medium-Term (2027):
  • Reduction in MMR (from 97 → closer to SDG <70).
  • Lower anaemia prevalence among women and children.
  • Higher institutional deliveries via JSY & SUMAN.
• Long-Term (2047):
  • Stronger health-seeking behaviour.
  • Empowered women → healthier families → healthier India.

Value Additions

• Anaemia: 57% of women, 67% of children (NFHS-5, 2019–21).
• Maternal Mortality: 97 per 1,00,000 (SRS 2020–22), down from 130 in 2014–16.
• OOPE: 47.1% of total health expenditure (NHA 2019–20) vs global avg <20%.
• Institutional Deliveries: 89% in NFHS-5 vs 79% in NFHS-4.
• Health Workforce: India has ~1.1 doctors & 1.7 nurses per 1,000 population — below WHO norm of 1:1000 doctors.

Conclusion

• SNSPA is not just a health campaign, but a social reform drive linking health, empowerment, behaviour change, and governance.
• It strengthens the continuum from pregnancy → delivery → child care → women’s wellness.
• Represents a Jan Andolan model, similar to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan → likely to become a flagship for women’s health like SBM was for sanitation.